There's only one word to describe The Bouncer, SquareSoft's latest beat-em-up action title for the PlayStation 2: gorgeous. From the second the opening credits kick in this game oozes quality, putting everything that went before it to shame. It's like watching an action film with fight sequences you can direct yourself; the visuals alone are enough to convince the wary that buying a PlayStation 2 is a great idea. The voice acting, too, is among the best yet on a PS2 title and really adds to the atmosphere of the piece--clearly a lot of thought has gone into this, and has paid off greatly. The plot is fairly straightforward: a 15-year-old girl, who happens to have three burly bouncers for buddies, gets kidnapped by a multi-national corporation. The guys decide to take action; setting off for the corporate HQ, stumbling upon all manner of bizarre and intriguing mysteries. The Bouncer is, in essence, a fighting game similar to the old Capcom title Final Fight. The bulk of the plot is driven by non-interactive FMV sequences, with the player taking control of one of the three main protagonists at the beginning of the fight sequences--of which there are many. Given the number of moves it's possible to make during the heat of battle, Square have made intelligent use of the DualShock pad, allowing high, medium and low-level attacks, the strength of which can be altered according to how hard you hit the buttons. Falling as it does between interactive novel and beat-em-up there's a little something here for everyone, and if all else fails The Bouncer is so visually appealing that it will be difficult not to like it. --Chris Russell